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An Islamic scholar with a global network of millions of followers, G&#252;len is both revered and reviled in his native Turkey. To members of the G&#252;len movement, he is an inspirational leader who encourages a life guided by moderate Islamic principles. To his detractors, he represents a threat to Turkey’s secular order. He has kept a relatively low profile since settling in the United States in 1999, having fled Turkey after being accused of undermining secularism.

2 Muhammad Yunus

Microfinancier, activist • Bangladesh

More than 30 years ago, Yunus loaned several dozen poor entrepreneurs in his native Bangladesh a total of $27. It was the beginning of a lifetime devoted to fighting poverty through microfinance, efforts that earned him a Nobel Peace Prize in 2006. Over the years, his Grameen Bank, now operating in more than 100 countries, has loaned nearly $7 billion in small sums to more than 7 million borrowers—97 percent of them women. Ninety-eight percent of the loans have been repaid.

3 Yusuf al-Qaradawi

Cleric • Egypt/Qatar

The host of the popular Sharia and Life TV program on Al Jazeera, Qaradawi issues w .eekly fatwas on everything from whether Islam forbids all consumption of alcohol (no) to whether fighting U.S. troops in Iraq is a legitimate form of resistance (yes). Considered the spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, Qaradawi condemned the September 11 attacks, but his pronouncements since, like his justification of suicide attacks, ensure his divisive reputation.

4 Orhan Pamuk

Novelist • Turkey

Part political pundit, part literary celebrity, Pamuk is the foremost chronicler of Turkey’s difficult dance between East and West. His skillfully crafted works lay bare his native country’s thorny relationship with religion, democracy, and modernity, earning him a Nobel Prize in literature in 2006. Three years ago, Pamuk was put on trial for “insulting Turkish identity” after mentioning the Armenian genocide and the plight of Turkey’s Kurds in an interview. The charges were later dropped. Today, Pamuk teaches literature at Columbia University.

5 Aitzaz Ahsan

Lawyer, politician • Pakistan

President of Pakistan’s Supreme Court Bar Association, Ahsan has been a vocal opponent of President Pervez Musharraf’s rule. When Musharraf dismissed the head of the Supreme Court in March 2007, it was Ahsan who led the legal challenge to reinstate the chief justice and rallied thousands of lawyers who took to the streets in protest. He was arrested several times during the period of emergency rule last year. Today, he is a senior member of the Pakistan Peoples Party, formerly led by Benazir Bhutto, and one of the country’s most recognizable politicians.

6 Amr Khaled

Muslim televangelist • Egypt

A former accountant turned rock-star evangelist, Khaled preaches a folksy interpretation of modern Islam to millions of loyal viewers around the world. With a charismatic oratory and casual style, Khaled blends messages of cultural integration and hard work with lessons on how to live a purpose-driven Islamic life. Although Khaled got his start in Egypt, he recently moved to Britain to counsel young, second-generation European Muslims.

7 Abdolkarim Soroush

Religious theorist • Iran

Soroush, a former university professor in Tehran and specialist in chemistry, Sufi poetry, and history, is widely considered one of the world’s premier Islamic philosophers. Having fallen afoul of the mullahs thanks to his work with Iran’s democratic activists, he has lately decamped to Europe and the United States, where his essays and lectures on religious philosophy and human rights are followed closely by Iran’s reformist movement.

8 Tariq Ramadan

Philosopher, scholar of Islam • Switzerland

One of the most well-known and controversial Muslim scholars today, Ramadan embodies the cultural and religious clash he claims to be trying to bridge. His supporters consider him a passionate advocate for Muslim integration in Europe. His critics accuse him of anti-Semitism and having links to terrorists. In 2004, Ramadan was denied a U.S. visa to teach at Notre Dame, after the State Department accused him of donating to Islamic charities linked to Hamas.

9 Mahmood Mamdani

Cultural anthropologist • Uganda

Born in Uganda to South Asian parents, Mamdani was expelled from the country by Idi Amin in 1972, eventually settling in the United States. His work explores the role of citizenship, identity, and the creation of historical narratives in postcolonial Africa. More recently, he has focused his attention on political Islam and U.S. foreign policy, arguing that modern Islamist terrorism is a byproduct of the privatization of violence in the final years of the Cold War. He teaches at Columbia University.

10 Shirin Ebadi

Lawyer, human rights activist • Iran

Iran’s first female judge under the shah, Ebadi founded a pioneering law practice after she was thrown off the bench by Iran’s clerical rulers. Having initially supported the Islamic Revolution, she cut her teeth defending political dissidents and campaigning for the rights of women and children. A fierce nationalist who sees no incompatibility between Islam and democracy, Ebadi became the first Iranian to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003.

Is this the beginning of a Muslim revival? Who is your top intellectual?

Re: Muslims Dominate TOP 10 Intellectuals list

Originally Posted by troy01

2 Muhammad Yunus

Microfinancier, activist • Bangladesh

More than 30 years ago, Yunus loaned several dozen poor entrepreneurs in his native Bangladesh a total of $27. It was the beginning of a lifetime devoted to fighting poverty through microfinance, efforts that earned him a Nobel Peace Prize in 2006. Over the years, his Grameen Bank, now operating in more than 100 countries, has loaned nearly $7 billion in small sums to more than 7 million borrowers—97 percent of them women. Ninety-eight percent of the loans have been repaid.

and also earned millions of currency from the interest which he took by giving loan.

Re: Muslims Dominate TOP 10 Intellectuals list

This is the survey skewed, no hijacked by Zaman newspaper of Turkey. If this survey was done by sampling 1000 people in 100 countries, we could use it as a guage of something but there's no way that anyone can take seriously a survey like this

Re: Muslims Dominate TOP 10 Intellectuals list

That isn't a list of 'top' intellectuals, but a list of most famous intellectuals. Many, many ulama and shuyookh are much more intellectual than the people who I have listened to/read of on that list, yet they are not as famous as, say, Tariq Ramadan.

Re: Muslims Dominate TOP 10 Intellectuals list

Whilst I appreciate +respect+love our ulemas and shuyookh (traditional sunnis) I also have some favorite Muslim intellectuals that I derive further benefit from.

- Shaykh Hamza Yusuf included.
- Shaykh Imran Hosein (money and islam, contemporary issues, signs of the last age)
-Seyyed Hossein Nasr (science, civilizations, philosophy)
-Bediuzzaman Said Nursi (science, technology)
-Abdalqadir as-Sufi and his website (though some of his writings are a bit too difficult for me to understand, economics, current affairs)
- a few others (can't come to my mind at the moment)

We should keep in mind that all Muslims professionals have a place and special functions i.e specialist in their fields whether it be politics, economics, science, psychology, philosophy (though i think at times this can be a dangerous science) etc. :insha: we can gain benefit from them all and not limit ourselves and thinking to one aspect of knowledge in the deen.

I hope some others share, so I'll gain enlightenment of the other unknown intellectuals out there!

Re: Muslims Dominate TOP 10 Intellectuals list

great list MashaAllah..very pleased to see Amr Khaled, Tariq Ramadan, Fethullah Gullen, etc.....we need more intelligent Muslim Scholars like them...because currently theres such a shortage..its not even funny